Band of Outsiders
| Bande à part | |
|---|---|
Bande à part poster
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| Directed by | Jean-Luc Godard |
| Written by | Jean-Luc Godard |
| Based on |
Fool's Gold by Dolores Hitchens |
| Starring |
Anna Karina Sami Frey Claude Brasseur |
| Music by | Michel Legrand |
| Cinematography | Raoul Coutard |
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Production
company |
Anouchka Films
Orsay Films |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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97 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Budget | $120,000 (estimated) |
Bande à part (French pronunciation: [bɑ̃d a paʁ]) is a 1964 Nouvelle vague film directed by Jean-Luc Godard. It was released as Band of Outsiders in North America; its French title derives from the phrase faire bande à part, which means "to do something apart from the group."
The film is an adaptation of the novel Fools' Gold (Doubleday Crime Club, 1958) by American author Dolores Hitchens (1907–1973).
The film belongs to the French New Wave movement. Godard described it as "Alice in Wonderland meets Franz Kafka".
Odile (Anna Karina) meets a man named Franz (Sami Frey) in an English language class. She has told him of a large pile of money stashed in the villa where she lives with her aunt, Madame Victoria and a man named Monsieur Stoltz in Joinville, a Parisian suburb. Franz tells his friend Arthur (Claude Brasseur) of the money – and his nascent romance with Odile – and the two hatch a plan to steal it.
Meanwhile, Franz and Arthur try to seduce Odile. Ultimately, Arthur wins Odile, and they spend the night together.
Arthur's uncle learns of their plot and wants a cut of the money. Franz, Arthur, and Odile now must commit the robbery the night before they had planned, the night they knew M. Stoltz would be away from home. Moreover, M. Stoltz grows suspicious, and he hides the money and changes the locks.
When they arrive, Franz and Arthur tie up Mme. Victoria and lock her in an armoire. They only find a small amount of cash in the house, and when they open the armoire, to interrogate Mme. Victoria about the rest of the money, she appears to be dead. Franz, Arthur, and Odile flee the scene at once, until suddenly, Arthur declares he will return to the home, to verify that Mme. Victoria is in fact dead.
This is a ploy: Arthur knows where the rest of the money is hidden, and he plans to take it for himself. But on the highway, Franz notices Arthur's uncle heading in the direction of the villa; he and Odile turn around to follow. There, they witness Arthur being shot by his uncle repeatedly after finding the rest of the money in the doghouse. As he breathes his last, Arthur shoots his uncle in return. Odile rushes toward the body, but Franz pulls her away as M. Stoltz pulls up to the house. M. Stoltz gathers up the pile of money that is on the ground and walks up the stairs of the house. This is also where we learn that Mme. Victoria is alive, as she appears in the doorway and meets M. Stoltz as he enters the house.
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